Forecasted · Grant
FY26 US DOT Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program
69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy, Department of Transportation
Key facts
Copied from the official Grants.gov record. Last verified October 29, 2026.
- Program name
- FY26 US DOT Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program
- Issuing agency
- 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy (Department of Transportation)
- Opportunity number
- DOT-HASS-FY26-DIIG
- Funding type
- Grant
- Funding purpose
- Disaster Prevention and Relief, Science and Technology and other Research and Development, Information and Statistics, Consumer Protection, Community Development, Other, Employment, Labor and Training, Transportation — The DIIG program facilitates the use of small unmanned aircraft systems to support more efficient inspection, operation, construction, maintenance, and repair of an element of critical infrastructure to improve worker safety related to projects.
- Status
- Forecasted
- Application deadline
- Forecasted · estimated close November 15, 2026 (agency estimate)
- Agency estimates
- Estimated posting: September 15, 2026. Estimates can change.
- Published award range
- $500,000 – $9,000,000
- Estimated total program funding
- $9,000,000
- Expected number of awards
- 5
- Cost sharing or match required
- Yes
- Eligible applicants (official categories)
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Others (see Additional Information on Eligibility)
- Relevant to
- Neither businesses nor nonprofits are listed
- Geographic restrictions
- None stated in structured data (federal opportunities are often nationwide). Check the eligibility details and full announcement for any limits.
- Assistance Listing (CFDA)
- 20.765
- Official source
- View on Grants.gov ↗
- Application URL
- www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/363242 ↗Apply through Grants.gov (Workspace) using the application package on the official listing, unless the full announcement names a different submission system.
- Source identifier
- Grants.gov opportunity ID 363242 · Funding opportunity number DOT-HASS-FY26-DIIG
- Posted
- July 20, 2026 · Source last updated July 28, 2026
- Last verified
- October 29, 2026 (against Grants.gov)
- Data completeness
- 100% of key fields published by the source
- Record confidence
- mediumforecast — dates and amounts are agency estimates.
Eligibility details (from the agency)
An eligible applicant must be one of the following:•A State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof.•A unit of local government.•A Tribal government.•A metropolitan planning organization.•A consortia of more than one of the entities listed above.
Description (from the official listing)
The Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program will provide grants to eligible government entities to facilitate the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), referred to herein as drones, in critical infrastructure inspection. The objective is to increase the widespread adoption of drones and relevant technologies in support of more efficient Inspection, Operation, Construction, Maintenance, and Repair (IOCMR) of critical infrastructure to improve worker safety related to critical infrastructure projects. The program is established by Section 912 of Public Law 118-63 and Public Law 119-75. Eligible uses of grant funds include purchasing, leasing, or enhancing drone systems; contracting for services when internal expertise is lacking in the government entities; and supporting program management for these systems and operations. The DIIG Program prioritizes projects that create and utilize innovative drone inspection technologies and systems, address inspection data management and data platform interoperability, and streamline inspection workflows and processes while accounting for the complexities inherent in multi-jurisdictional regions. Total available funds of $9,000,000 in the DIIG Program (Fiscal Year 2026) are to be awarded on a competitive basis. In selecting applications, the Department will prioritize projects carried out in a variety of communities and projects that address safety risks in the IOCMR of critical infrastructure.The Federal share of the total project cost may not exceed 50 percent.· A lead applicant may request an increase in the…
Read the full description
The Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program will provide grants to eligible government entities to facilitate the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), referred to herein as drones, in critical infrastructure inspection. The objective is to increase the widespread adoption of drones and relevant technologies in support of more efficient Inspection, Operation, Construction, Maintenance, and Repair (IOCMR) of critical infrastructure to improve worker safety related to critical infrastructure projects. The program is established by Section 912 of Public Law 118-63 and Public Law 119-75. Eligible uses of grant funds include purchasing, leasing, or enhancing drone systems; contracting for services when internal expertise is lacking in the government entities; and supporting program management for these systems and operations. The DIIG Program prioritizes projects that create and utilize innovative drone inspection technologies and systems, address inspection data management and data platform interoperability, and streamline inspection workflows and processes while accounting for the complexities inherent in multi-jurisdictional regions. Total available funds of $9,000,000 in the DIIG Program (Fiscal Year 2026) are to be awarded on a competitive basis. In selecting applications, the Department will prioritize projects carried out in a variety of communities and projects that address safety risks in the IOCMR of critical infrastructure.The Federal share of the total project cost may not exceed 50 percent.· A lead applicant may request an increase in the Federal share up to 75 percent.· A request for an increased Federal share must be submitted in writing as part of the application.· The request must demonstrate that additional Federal assistance is necessary to facilitate acceptance and full use of the grant, such as by alleviating economic hardship, meeting additional workforce needs, or other appropriate reasons determined by the Department.Applications from private companies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other non-governmental entities are not eligible unless such entities participate only as contractors, vendors, or other non-applicant partners to an eligible governmental entity.
Agency contact
Thy H Nguyen Grantor
thy.nguyen@dot.gov